[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 74 (Tuesday, June 14, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 14, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             FURTHER RECOGNITION OF THE VETERANS OF SOMALIA

                                 ______


                         HON. ROBERT K. DORNAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 14, 1994

  Mr. DORNAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to include for the Record today 
additional stories of some of the brave fighting men who lost their 
lives in combat in Somalia last year.

                     SSgt. William D. Cleveland Jr.


                   a guy who never said no to anybody

       SSgt. William D. Cleveland Jr. was just the sort of guy 
     you'd want as your crew chief on an MH-60 special operations 
     Black Hawk helicopter: experienced, competent and totally 
     reliable.
       During his roughly 16 years in the Army, these qualities 
     had helped Cleveland rise to the position of section sergeant 
     in 1st platoon, D Company, 1st Battalion, 160th Special 
     Operations Aviation Regiment, Fort Campbell, Ky. Cleveland--
     ``Bill'' to his friends--was the crew chief on the second 
     Black Hawk shot down during the Oct. 3 firefight in 
     Mogadishu, Somalia, and was awarded the Silver Star 
     posthumously for his actions during the battle. Only CW2 
     Michael Durant survived the crash.
       He is remembered by his colleagues as a man who could 
     always be counted on both personally and professionally.
       ``Before he'd leave to go home, if I'd given him a task to 
     do, he'd get it done, and there were no short cuts about 
     it,''says SFC Gregory Cogman, his platoon sergeant.
       Like the model NCO he was, Cleveland was always there for 
     his troops. ``You could always ask him for anything,'' Cogman 
     says. ``There wasn't anything that he wouldn't do for any of 
     the guys in the platoon, even if it was on his own time.''
       For example, when one of the platoon's soldiers needed some 
     trees cutting down in his yard, Cleveland brought over his 
     own chainsaw and truck one weekend and did the job himself, 
     according to Cogman. ``No charge, no nothing, no questions 
     asked,'' Cogman said. ``He never said no to anybody.''
                                  ____


                          Sgt. Thomas J. Field


               this soldier came home to a hero's funeral

       Hundreds of mourners attended the burial of Sgt. Thomas J. 
     Field, 25, the crew chief on a Black Hawk shot down over 
     Mogadishu Oct. 3. Small yellow ribbons adorned St. Anne's 
     Roman Catholic Church in Lisbon, Maine, where he was buried 
     with military honors.
       ``It was a true, hometown-hero funeral,'' says Georgie 
     Asbury, Thomas Field's fiancee. ``The streets were lined with 
     people. The VFW and American Legion were out with their color 
     guard.''
       Thomas Field, the youngest of three brothers, made friends 
     easily, loved action films, country western music and ice 
     hockey.
       ``This guy was perfect,'' his fiancee says. ``He's from 
     a wonderful community. Once I'd met his family, I realized 
     why he was such a wonderful person.''
       Thomas Field was serving with the 160th Special Operations 
     Aviation Regiment when he died in Mogadishu. He also was a 
     veteran of Operation Just Cause in Panama. He joined the Army 
     in 1988 and graduated from Airborne and Air Assault schools.
       During his Army career, he was awarded the Silver Star, 
     Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Air Medal with ``V'' device, Good 
     Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces 
     Expeditionary Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

                       SFC Earl R. Fillmore, Jr.


              For him, the military was a family tradition

       When SFC Earl R. Fillmore Jr. joined the Army under the 
     Delayed Entry Program, he followed the paths of many of the 
     men in his life. His grandfather, father and two uncles all 
     served in the military.
       A childhood friend said they often played soldiers. Earl 
     Fillmore was 18 when he left Derry, Pa., for basic training 
     at Fort Jackson, S.C. At 24, he became the youngest soldier 
     chosen for Delta Force, part of the Army Special Forces 
     Command at Fort Bragg.
       Before his assignment with the U.S. Army Special Forces 
     Command (Airborne), Earl Fillmore served with A Company, 1st 
     Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne). He was a 
     veteran of Operation Just Cause (Panama) and Operation Desert 
     Shield (Saudi Arabia).
       He was killed Oct. 3 while serving as a medic with Task 
     Force Ranger in Mogadishu. He was 28.
       Earl Fillmore was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously. 
     During his career, he also received the Bronze Star, 
     Meritorious Service Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge and 
     Ranger tab.

                          CW4 Raymond A. Frank


            badly injured in a crash, he vowed to fly again

       CW4 Raymond A. Frank, 45--``Ironman'' to his buddies for 
     his iron will and determination to return to duty after 
     sustaining serious injuries in a helicopter crash--was also a 
     talented artist, seamster, golfer, pianist, carpenter and 
     mechanic, said his widow, Willi Frank, of Clarksville, Tenn.
       ``He was just great at so many thing,'' she says. ``He 
     could play anything he heard on the piano,'' and would play 
     for hours on the grand piano in their Clarksville home.
       The Franks had been married for more than 20 years. Willi 
     Frank says her husband was her best friend and confidant.
       ``He had blue eyes that seemed so wise and always 
     laughing,'' she says. ``He had a smile that. . . could melt 
     the coldest heart.''
       They met on Willi's birthday at a bar where she worked. He 
     had just returned from a tour in Vietnam. She waited on him 
     and offered him a piece of her birthday cake. He declined and 
     took her out to dinner instead after she got off work. They 
     were married soon after, Willi Frank says.
       In 1990, Raymond Frank was seriously injured in a 
     helicopter crash at Fort Chaffee, Ark. His left leg was 
     crushed and three vertebra were shattered. It took three 
     surgeries to get him back on his feet, but he was determined 
     to fly again.
       ``His flying skills in that incident saved the lives of 
     seven other crew members,'' Willi Frank recalls. His 
     determination to return to duty was an inspiration to other 
     soldiers, she says. ``He was totally dedicated to this 
     country.''
       Raymond Frank was killed Oct. 3 after he was captured by 
     Somalis when his aircraft was shot down over Mogadishu.
                                  ____


                      Sgt. Christopher K. Hilgert


            in time, he'd have been `one hell of a soldier'

       ``A model son'' is how Sgt. Christopher K. Hilgert, 27, is 
     described by his father, Earl Hilgert.
       ``I never had a bit of trouble out of him. He was an avid 
     sports fan  . . . He was just a good kid.''
       Christopher Hilgert had served with an armored company in 
     Germany, but decided he wanted to become a military policeman 
     to learn a skill he could use outside the Army.
       He went to college on scholarship, had been a member of the 
     National Honor Society and was a top marksman, his father 
     says. He'd been out of MP school just eight weeks when he 
     learned he would be going to Somalia.
       Christopher Hilgert died with three other MPs Aug. 9 on a 
     routine patrol through Mogadishu. The Humvee they were 
     traveling in ran over a remotely detonated bomb.
       ``Given a little more experience and time, he would have 
     been one hell of a soldier,'' Earl Hilgert says.
                                  ____


                        PFC James H. Martin Jr.


               `our family has paid more than its share'

       One could say that James H. Martin Jr. had itchy feet. The 
     sense of adventure that saw him enlist in the Army in early 
     1992 and eventually took him to Somalia in August 1993 had 
     its beginning more than 20 years ago in a three-year-old from 
     Collinsville, Ill.
       That toddler would occasionally take off on his own to 
     visit his grandmother some 2\1/2\ miles down the road, or go 
     to a nearby lake just to watch the ducks.
       ``He was a handful,'' says his mother, Karen Martin, who 
     still lives in Collinsville. Years later, after joining the 
     Army but still very much family oriented, James Martin talked 
     of trying to get posted in Kansas so he could live closer to 
     his family, his favorite fishing spots and his friends.
       Joining the Army was something James Martin had thought 
     about for many years, says Karen Martin. After all, she says, 
     his father, James H. Martin Sr., served in the Korean War and 
     his grandfather and an uncle died in service in World War II. 
     ``I didn't want him to go in, but I wasn't surprised,'' Karen 
     Martin says. ``Our family has paid more than its share.''
       When he went off to Fort Drum, N.Y., James Martin took with 
     him his love of music. He liked to write his own music, and 
     liked the oldies, says his wife, Lori. ``His favorite was 
     Buddy Holly.'' He took his guitar and harmonica with him to 
     Fort Drum, but only took his harmonica to Somalia. ``He was 
     concerned his guitar would get beat up, so we were going to 
     send him a cheap one,'' his mother says, ``but we never got 
     the chance.''
       James Martin, 23, was assigned to A Company, 2d Bat talion, 
     14th Infantry, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry). 
     Members of the company, part of the quick-reaction force 
     in Somalia, had been sent to rescue Rangers exchanging 
     fire with Somalis in the streets of Mogadishu Oct. 3. 
     James Martin was killed when the company's convoy was 
     ambushed.
       When she was asked about her husband's final mission and 
     the dangers he faced in Somalia, Lori Martin says: ``If it 
     meant saving someone's life, he would do it. That's the kind 
     of person he was.''
       Of her only son, Karen Martin says simply: ``He was 
     perfect.''
                                  ____


                        MSgt. Timothy L. Martin


            just short of 20 years, he'd thought of retiring

       MSgt. Timothy L. Martin was accustomed to the military 
     life. He was the son of a career Air Force sergeant and 
     traveled around the country before moving in with his 
     grandmother in Aurora, Ind., at the age of 16.
       So his decision to join the military after graduating from 
     Aurora High School in 1974 wasn't much of a surprise to his 
     family. Before he was killed Oct. 3 while serving with Task 
     Force ranger, Timothy Martin had an accomplished military 
     career.
       He was well-trained, having completed Airborne Ranger 
     School, Jungle Warfare Training, Jumpmaster Training, Special 
     Forces Qualifications, Combat Engineer, Special Forces 
     Underwater Operations. His decorations included the Bronze 
     Star, Purple Heart, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two 
     Meritorious Service Medals, Combat Infantryman Badge and 
     Ranger tab.
       Timothy Martin left behind his wife, Linda, and three girls 
     when he left for Somalia. Before he deployed, he said he was 
     thinking about retiring and starting a small business. He 
     would have completed 20 years of active duty service in June.
                                  ____


                         Sgt. Keith D. Pearson


              `best man' was picked for deployment vacancy

       Sgt. Keith D. Pearson, 25, wasn't originally scheduled to 
     deploy to Somalia, but ended up filling a vacancy with the 
     977th Military Police Company, Fort Riley, Kan.
       ``His commanding officer said he picked the best man to 
     go,'' says his father, Burton Pearson, after his son's death 
     in Somalia Aug. 9, 1993.
       ``He was a very compassionate young man,'' his father 
     recalls. ``He loved his job, and he loved his country.''
       A gregarious person and a formidable Dallas Cowboys fan, 
     Keith Pearson is remembered by his family and friends as 
     someone who would stand up for people who needed help, and 
     one who went out of his way to make other people feel 
     comfortable.
       He and his wife, Jody, went out of their way to include 
     single soldiers in social events. Jody had planned to tape 
     football games for her husband while he was in Somalia.
       Before he was married, Keith Pearson lived for a time with 
     his older brother, Eric. ``He was more than a brother; he was 
     a friend,'' Eric Pearson says.
       Keith Pearson died with three other MPs when the Humvee 
     they were traveling in ran over a remotely detonated bomb.

                      Sgt. Ferdinan C. Richardson


              he died on a mission to protect his comrades

       Sgt. Ferdinan C. Richardson, 27, an intelligence analyst 
     with the 10th Mountain Division's 10th Aviation Brigade, gave 
     his life trying to protect his fellow soldiers from the 
     threat of rocket-grenade launchers that were concealed by 
     Somali militiamen in the back streets of Mogadishu.
       Ferdinan Richardson, of Watertown, N.Y., was one of five 
     soldiers who boarded a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on the 
     night of Sept. 26 to investigate a report that launchers had 
     been deployed near the new port area of the city.
       As he scanned the area below, ground fire reached up to 
     strike the fast-moving helicopter. The pilot managed to 
     crash-land the Black Hawk in a street. Ferdinan Richardson, 
     the door gunner and the crew chief were killed; the pilot and 
     co-pilot were injured, but escaped the hostile mob that 
     gathered at the crash site.

                          Sgt. Lorenzo M. Ruiz


            his mother is at peace, pleased he'd served well

       Sgt. Lorenzo M. Ruiz, 27, knew the potential peril of 
     service as a Ranger, but he didn't scare easy. His brother, 
     Jorge Ruiz, of El Paso, Texas, said his older brother 
     ``wouldn't back away from anything.''
       ``He liked his job as a Ranger and he liked danger,'' Jorge 
     Ruiz told Army Times after Lorenzo Ruiz's death in the Oct. 3 
     firefight. His actions during that clash earned him the 
     Bronze Star for valor.
       Lorenzo Ruiz indicated that he believed he was going to die 
     in his last letter home. ``He told me not to worry about him, 
     and that the Rangers are the best,'' Jorge Ruiz said. ``And 
     he told me to take care of grandmother and my mother.
       After his death, his mother Maria Contreras, told The 
     Associated Press she was at peace. ``He was over there doing 
     what his country wanted him to do,'' she said.

                          Sgt. Eugene Williams


             he lived for two loves, flying and soldiering

       Sgt. Eugene Williams, 26, loved flying and living the 
     soldier's life. He died doing both when the Black Hawk 
     helicopter he was traveling in was shot down Sept. 26 over 
     Mogadishu.
       ``He kept his eye on the prize, and the prize was to be a 
     soldier,'' the Rev. Thomas Jackson, Eugene Williams' long-
     time pastor, told the Associated Press.
       He wore his first uniform as a member of an Explorer Scout 
     troop, later, he would don an Army uniform and serve seven 
     months in the Persian Gulf war as a helicopter mechanic. 
     The second eldest of four, Eugene Williams grew up on 
     Chicago's West Side and made his parents proud.
       ``He was dedicated,'' his father told the Associated Press. 
     ``It's not a consolation, but one thing that makes me feel 
     better is he did some things that he wanted to do. The Army 
     was his choice.''
                                  ____


                         CW4 Clifton P. Wolcott


                  `he called and said, pack me a bag'

       In just three years, CW4 Clifton P. Wolcott, 36, would have 
     retired to the farm he and his wife bought in the rolling 
     hills of Kentucky's North Carolina County, about an hour from 
     Fort Campbell.
       ``We were starting to learn to raise cattle, and he was 
     quite a good horseman,'' says his widow, Christine Wolcott. 
     He would take his 12-year-old son, Robert, dove hunting.
       ``He was really a good husband and always put his family 
     first,'' Christine Wolcott says. ``He was sweet and 
     considerate. Robert and I knew we were the main focus of his 
     life.
       As an Army brat, Clifton Wolcott grew up in Germany, hiking 
     in the Alps with his mother while his father served in 
     Vietnam. The family later moved to upstate New York before he 
     joined the Army.
       ``Clif was totally devoted to his parents; he loved them 
     very much. I think that says a lot about the way he was 
     raised,'' Christine Wolcott says. ``I've seen guys that love 
     their country and say they are patriotic, but Clif lived 
     it.''
       Typical of special operations missions, the family had no 
     warning when Clifton Wolcott deployed to Somalia Aug. 11. 
     ``It was one of those days where I came home from work, and 
     he called and said, `Pack me a bag,' '' His widow says.
       She talked to him twice by phone after he arrived in 
     Somalia. ``He didn't talk about the mission. . .[but he said] 
     everybody there was very sharp and all the people he worked 
     with were really outstanding. He really was proud of the men 
     he worked with.''
       Clifton Wolcott was killed Oct. 3 while serving with Task 
     Force Ranger in Mogadishu.

                          ____________________